North Brookfield's small school system makes big impression on state education secretary

Thursday

Dec 19, 2013 at 6:20 PM

By Bradford L. Miner CORRESPONDENT

NORTH BROOKFIELD — State education Secretary Matthew Malone, in his first visit to one of the smaller stand-alone school districts in Central Massachusetts, found that size does matter.

Being small has disadvantages, but there are as many pros as cons, Superintendent John A. Provost said, as administrators, teachers, state and local officials awaited the arrival of Mr. Malone.

The education secretary briefed the superintendent and principal on the status of statewide assessment measures, then toured the elementary school, talking with teachers and students.

As for North Brookfield's endeavor to remain an autonomous, stand-alone district, Mr. Malone said, "Just because there's one educational model doesn't mean there can't be another."

The secretary cited collaboration with other districts as one means of achieving greater cost efficiency and academic excellence.

"Just because it doesn't show up on our website doesn't mean we're not open to other ideas," Mr. Malone said.

He said his next visit, to school districts in the Berkshires, would include a stop in Egremont, where he'd be visiting his first one-room schoolhouse.

Mr. Provost said his school district has made significant progress in the last two years.

"I invited the secretary to come to North Brookfield to see for himself what we're doing. As an example, for the most recent round of MCAS reading scores, none of our third-grade students scored in the warning category.

"Based on what I saw of statewide statistics, there were only a handful of other districts across the state that accomplished the same."

Mr. Provost cited early literacy as a good predictor of success in high school and beyond.

"We know we have our young learners on the right track. And the beauty of leading a small district is that if problems become evident, they can be addressed immediately," the superintendent said.

Mr. Malone said the best part of the job he's held for nearly a year is the time spent away from the office, visiting schools across the state.

The face-to-face contact allows him to set the record straight, especially on those matters that seem to cause the greatest stress.

He said he has advised local administrators across the state not to worry about the adoption of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test.

"There is good news on PARCC implementation. The fallacy is that the board (Board of Education) voted to move to PARCC. In fact the board voted a two-year field test of PARCC, where we'll be assessing and evaluating results to determine if it's a better test," he said.

The secretary acknowledged that some school districts are "feeling the pressure of too much testing."

"As secretary, I want to focus on the No. 1 job — learning and teaching."

Principal James Graham led the tour of the elementary building. It included traditional and non-traditional classrooms, second-graders solving math problems on tablets, and the cacophony of indoor recess.

"The beauty of Massachusetts is that for a small state, and we are a small state, there is so much diversity, so many different models for achieving success. I'm very impressed with what I've seen here today," Mr. Malone said.

State Rep. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, said the Legislature was prepared to lend full support to the initiatives of the Executive Office of Education.

"There had been speculation that for the governor's last year, things would be allowed to go by the wayside, but that's not the case. The secretary and his staff have stepped things up. There's no swan song here. If anything I'm excited by the innovative projects under way for our school districts," she said.